Australian Fleet

[Scalenex]

What should one do with the transport and destroyer way down under?  Granted I have only played against myself, but Allied Me can never manage to sneak the ships out without Axis me killing them with a pair of fighters from a carrier.  Keeping the ships there just buys them another round or two because Axis Me usually tries to make a clean sweep of the Pacific.

[a44bigdog]

If England wants to use them they can either link up with the American Carrier or load some stuff from Australia and head East to eventually drop off in Africa after sailing south of S. America.

[dondoolee]

In most cases you have to link them up with the US carrier fleet, and use it in coordination with that.  In some cases (if japan has only 1 airplane that can hit the fleet) you can move it towards Africa w/o the Americans if you want.

[jsp4563]

Usually Japan has 1BB, 1CA and marines (ground units w/transports) in the Philippines after J1, plus marines in Borneo and Sumatra.  In that case I will move the DD to sz48 to block forces from the Philippines joining up with Borneo\Sumatra marines and CV air from sz37 in sz39 for a combined assault on Australia.  I may even send a couple of US fighters to Australia.  This really is only a delaying tactic but I find it useful.  The TP I send to hook up with the US fleet in sz56 and Candian ground forces in the West (Either Canada or US).

[Gargantua]

Load the art in AUS, go to NZE or SOL, or sz41, find holes in jap defense to take CAR or whatever. to get NO, and force japan to take one of thier own islands back,  cover this island off with American air power.  so even if they take it back, you attavk thier ships the following turn

[Butcher]

@Gargantua:

Load the art in AUS, go to NZE or SOL, or sz41, find holes in jap defense to take CAR or whatever. to get NO, and force japan to take one of thier own islands back,  cover this island off with American air power.  so even if they take it back, you attavk thier ships the following turn

That’s almost exactly what I did in a forum game recently, and it will be helpful in terms of making Japan have to pull some units away from mainland Asia. Works well if you also have U.S. able to hit the SZ around the Caroline Islands.

[falconrider]

I take an inf + art and link it up with the US carrier.  It sits with the US Pacific fleet and when it gets a chance threatens to take back Borneo, East Indies or Phillipines.

[Twigley]

I joined it up with the US carrier force loaded with art+inf.

The Japanese had taken Hawaii, so the US bought subs to scare the AC’s off and the brits took hawaii back turn two where they rendez-voused with US Carrier, ftrs, dd and subs on that US turn.

A couple of rounds later they took the carolines, and the Japanese did not have transports in range to take them back.

Then they got sunk.

[Gargantua]

Sunk?!?! What do you mean Sunk?!? No one sinks the Australian fleet! It just submerges Permanently :p

[dondoolee]

A couple other notes on the Aussie fleet:

If you are sending them towards the USA. you can use the fleet to pick up any forces in Canada, rather than pciking up the Aussies; one reason to do this would be if you saw an advatage of leaving Australia more well defended.

You could also send the fleet to the Atlantic Theater. (loadaed with either Aussies, Canadians, or nothing).

[a44bigdog]

I have seen one other use not mentioned here. Pick up the AA in Australia and sail west where Japan will sink the fleet and remove the AA gun from the board. It is rarely much use for the English anyway and it stops Japan from using it. Not much of a use to me, but I figured I would throw it out there anyway.

[dondoolee]

@a44bigdog:

I have seen one other use not mentioned here. Pick up the AA in Australia and sail west where Japan will sink the fleet and remove the AA gun from the board. It is rarely much use for the English anyway and it stops Japan from using it. Not much of a use to me, but I figured I would throw it out there anyway.

Interesting thought.  I imagine that move would have the potential to be of some use in some cases, probably a more US Pacific focused strat.
There may be some other reasons to pick up the AA and ship it somewhere else too.  In all honesty though I can not think of a “typical” example where England’s Aussie AA gun will be of much use (particularly if the AA gun from India is still in the UK’s hands).  Still though, I am used to seeing at least 3 fig attack Australia I figure I may as well try to take one of them out with AA.

[Jennifer]

@Emperor:

Usually Japan has 1BB, 1CA and marines (ground units w/transports) in the Philippines after J1, plus marines in Borneo and Sumatra.  In that case I will move the DD to sz48 to block forces from the Philippines joining up with Borneo\Sumatra marines and CV air from sz37 in sz39 for a combined assault on Australia.  I may even send a couple of US fighters to Australia.  This really is only a delaying tactic but I find it useful.  The TP I send to hook up with the US fleet in sz56 and Candian ground forces in the West (Either Canada or US).

I don’t see the benefit though.

Japan should have no less than 1 fighter and 4 infantry in range of Australia on Round 2, assuming the Destroyer is blocking the Battleship (and cruiser if it is there) from attacking.

Odds are, though, Japan will have 2 fighters, 4 infantry.  That should be enough to take Australia. (33% chance of losing a fighter in SZ 35.  Therefore, odds are (67%) that Japan will have 2 fighters for the attack.)

[Corbeau Blanc]

South African IC, ship the AA gun there round 3.

Link the dd/transport with whatever fleet you get to build there and start retaking UK assets in Indian Ocean.

[supremem allied commander]

take the aussie fleet load it up and go to india……you will be there by b2…help protect the indian ic…it has always worked for me…but as i have only played 1 person in 20+ years i know his thinking…

[Bardoly]

@supremem:

take the aussie fleet load it up and go to india……you will be there by b2…help protect the indian ic…it has always worked for me…but as i have only played 1 person in 20+ years i know his thinking…

Don’t you think it’s about time to jump on the bandwagon of PBF (Play by Forum) here on this website?